This morning we awoke to clearing skies and cool temperatures. We only had 9 hours of sleep last night and feel like we are leaving our jet lag behind. Breakfast was the same as yesterday - bread, yogurt, meats, eggs, olives, coffee, etc. We ate with Alex Potter from Walnut Creek.
Our tour started at 9:00. We walked about 1/4 mile to look at the cisterns, an underground water system that was create in the Byzantine times in the sixth century. The cistern covers an area the size of two football fields. There are 336 columns supporting a brick ceiling directly the city streets. A highlight is two Medusa heads lying on the ground squeezed under two pillars. It was cool, damp and spooky. We even saw fish swimming in the water.
The Cistern and Medusa
Next, we walked a couple of blocks to the Hagia Sophia. This served Constantinople as a church for centuries. It has also served as a mosque. It has been converted to a museum so no secular services are performed there. It was built in the sixth century an has an enormous dome that would fit Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral under it.
We then walked along the Hippodrome and visited the Museum of Turkish & Islamic Art. The museum featured hundreds of carpets and ceramics as well as realistic displays of nomadic tents and early Istanbul household interiors.
Lunch was on our own. We picked a small restaurant near the museum. Ann had grilled chicken and a green salad with white beans. I had Sultanahmet Koftecisi (lamb meatballs) and a green salad.
After lunch, we met our bus for the first time and drove to the Chora Church. This church was built in the fourth century and contains some of the best examples of late Byzantine mosaics anywhere. It is fairly small and very crowded.
Example of Byzantine Mosaics
After the church visit, we drove back into the city and wandered through the Grand Bazaar. This huge covered market has hundreds of shops and offers everything from housewares to carpets to jewelry to clothes to.... There are lots of hustlers trying to get you into shops to buy something. Bargaining is a must. We weren't ready to buy yet so we just looked.
The Grand Bazaar
After strolling back to the hotel, we rested and then walked up one block to Yeni Akbiyik Caddesi (White Mustache Street) and picked a sidewalk restaurant for dinner. We had a mixed vegetable appetizer for two. For a main course, Ann had an eggplant puree with lamb and rice. I had lamb kabobs. It was tasty. It was barely warm enough to eat outside and watch the world walk by.
A couple of thing that we noticed about Istanbul are the abundance of old timbered houses and motion-sensitive lights. We aren't sure where the wood comes from for the houses and we think the the lights are a good "green" idea.
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